House Republicans Introduce PELL Act

Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced the Promoting Employment and Lifelong Learning (PELL) Act to expand educational and credentialing opportunities for workers looking to gain skills in high-demand fields. The bill reflects a long-term goal of House Republicans to expand Pell Grant eligibility to cover more short-term job training programs.
 
According to the bill’s sponsors, the goals of the PELL Act are to: 

• Create a Workforce Pell Grant to expand eligibility to high-quality, short-term programs so students can move into a job quickly;
• Reduce federal bureaucracy and provide clear requirements for programs focused on delivering skills education;
• Allow all education providers to participate as long as they meet certain requirements, including that students will be qualified to work following program completion;
• Require accreditors to demonstrate to the Department of Education that standards for accreditation include a process for determining if the institution has the capability to effectively offer an eligible program;
• Ensure program prices are aligned with economic value so students and taxpayers receive a positive return on investment within three years or less; and
• Require the Department to publish program costs and outcomes on the College Scorecard so students and families are aware of the high-quality education opportunities available to them. 

The push for Pell Grants to be available for job training programs has gained momentum in both parties with the main difference being what provisions need to be added to ensure allowing programs of less than 12-weeks does not lead to fraud and abuse or poor outcomes.  One of the main differences between the two parties’ solutions is whether to allow for-profit schools to be eligible.  Republicans favor eligibility for for-profits while Democrats oppose.  Both parties support requiring programs to have rigorous earnings outcomes.
 
As the House Committee on Education and the Workforce works towards introducing a comprehensive Higher Education Act reauthorization bill, it is likely that the PELL Act, or a very similar version, will be included in their proposal.

For more information, please contact:
Emmanual A. Guillory